


A Dozen Faces & A Dozen Hearts

by Anayame



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: All Skelebois Are Baras, All the Skelebois Live in a Huge Mansion, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Because I said so that's why, Blood and Violence, Character is Wanted by the Gov, Character is a Wanted 'Criminal', Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, I'm Going to Hell, Kissing, Love, Minor Character Death, Multi, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Past Torture, Polyamory, Reverse Harem, Romance, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, Trauma, Twelve Boneheads, Twelve Boners
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:53:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29606253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anayame/pseuds/Anayame
Summary: Ana Bane has known nothing but pain for most of her life, never really known what a home was, nor love. For years now she had been on the run from the government and secret agencies looking to decipher her.. talent. Off of sight and hearing alone she could use her perceptive wit and shift, shift to what? Well any sentient being, with very few limitations. With monsters it was even better. It made running so much easier, and helped her slip into the shadows. She had run from country to country, searching for a place to rest her weary body, when she stumbled across Ebott City and right into the arms of a family of skeletons.How will this turn out for her?This work is beta read by the amazing~ @xXSystemGlitchXx
Relationships: Papyrus (Fellswap Gold)/Original Character, Papyrus (Swapfell Red)/Original Character, Papyrus (Swapfell)/Original Character, Papyrus (Underfell)/Original Character, Papyrus (Underswap)/Original Character, Papyrus (Undertale)/Original Character, Sans (Fellswap Gold)/Original Character, Sans (Swapfell Red)/Original Character, Sans (Swapfell)/Original Character, Sans (Underfell)/Original Character, Sans (Underswap)/Original Character, Sans (undertale)/Original Character
Comments: 10
Kudos: 23





	1. Arrival

A pant left my lips, feet darting me down a dark alleyway as I rushed to lose my pursuers. A faint memory of a cat-esque monster flooded my mind and I felt my body shifting, pain a dull throb at this point. My new powerful legs propelled me up to reach the top of the fence at the end of the alley and I quickly scampered over before dropping soundlessly. I didn't stop though, still running as I heard booted feet arriving at the alley I had just left.

A few more twists and turns, a run in with a car, and a couple blocks of roof hopping landed me smack in the middle of a truck shipping yard. As fast as my feet could carry me I hopped silently into the back compartment of a semi truck, nestled in an overhead compartment and being as quiet as I could.

It was then I finally could catch my breath and close my eyes for a moment, pushing my long auburn hair out of my eyes. I could feel my head pounding and my muscles screaming, my eyes sore from running so fast they dried out. Said golden orbs opened again when I heard the truck door opening and I peeked through a tiny gap to see a tall, burly man getting in and starting up the engine. Thank the lord I had guessed right and picked an already loaded truck. Where I was going, I had no idea. But anywhere was better than here, and maybe if it was far enough away I would be able to relax for a bit and maybe eat a proper meal before the agents were on my ass again. 

The man turned on the radio to some country music, which made me scrunch my nose a little, but I couldn't complain when I was a stowaway in his truck. Then we were off, engine rumbling as I heard us pull out of the yard and hit the freeway quite fast. The roaring of the engine, chains and cargo rustling, and the soft sounds of the guitar lulled me to sleep, coaxing my exhaustion to take over.

 _A little nap couldn't hurt.._ I thought to myself as I started to doze off.

A few hours later I was awoken by the truck slowly pulling to a halt, and my senses were immediately back on high alert as I heard the jingling of keys and the opening of the door. I peeked out and saw we were at a truck stop on the highway, and knew leaving now was a bad idea. Yes, staying was still not the best plan but at least hopefully this truck was heading to a city. The man headed inside, most likely to grab a bite to eat or piss or something.

Quickly I scampered out of the cubby and looked around for anything to eat or drink. Fate must love me today because I found the stash of snacks in a lower cupboard, and quickly grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of jerky. I hoped he wouldn't miss one bag and a bottle of water. It was then I spotted extra sets of clothes, obviously for him and not me, but.. I looked down at my dirty and ripped clothes.

Making my decision fast, I stripped off my sweater and shirt, stealing one of his pullover hoodies he had stacked back there. I was green and black, some nice dragon print on the front and came halfway down my thighs. I then pulled down my pants and put on a pair of cargo shorts, praying they would stay on. In terms of shoes I'd still be barefoot for now but if worst came to worst I could shift into an animal monster and be fine.

 _Damn this fucker is huge!_ I internally yelled and huffed a little.

I then scampered back up into the cubby with my clothes and opened my meal, happily munching on my prize as the trucker came back not too long after. With a roar from the engine we were back on the road, and I allowed myself to watch through the small crack I had was we drove. From what I could see, we were heading somewhere new, well somewhere new for me. It made me a little giddy, knowing I would have some time before I was found again hopefully.

I tried to stay awake this time, trying to listen for anything that could give me a hint where we were going, a road sign, or anything. That's when I heard the crackling of a voice coming through the comms system the guy had in his truck, but I couldn't quite make out what they said from the back of the cabin over the rattling of the trailer and the rumble of the engine.

"Yeah yeah I'll be in Ebott in about six hours if I'm right, the ride has been fine so far. All the cargo is fine. Yeah. Bye." The trucker said, making my head perk.

 _Ebott huh? If I've heard right, Mt. Ebott is where the monsters all came from a couple years ago. Well at least I'll have more options for shifting._ I thought as I nibbled on another piece of jerky.

Monsters had rose from the Underground about two years ago, and a lot of humans were terrified seeing these new things showing up after who knows how long. In a lot of people's eyes monsters were supposed to be nothing more than fairytales you told your children at bedtime, not actual living, breathing things. I personally wasn't scared, hell I was more like them than my human counterparts. More than once I defended a monster and got myself in trouble for it, that's why I was even on the run today. 

Some assholes were harassing a poor bird monster that had just wanted a drink from a convenience store, and proceeded to be shit on by monster haters. So I stood up for the poor thing, but much to my annoyance the agents caught wind of it very damn fast. I just find it ridiculous because monsters even have rights and everything! They're equal to humans but still get treated like trash by some and it disgusts me. No one deserves treatment like that for being who or what they are, they can't change that! Due to my past I know all too well that suffering, thus why I can't stand it.

For the first two or three hours of the rest of the trip I slept, carefully tucked to the back of the storage compartment as we drove. I was awoken by the man talking again, just more chatter about the shipment, where it was going, yada yada. Knowing how most cities worked, the delivery would be made to some factory on the edge of the city to be divided and put away or on smaller delivery trucks. 

Thankfully since it was a long trip I was guessing the guy would be heading to some motel to sleep so I'd be able to slip out when the coast was clear and find somewhere to go. If I was lucky we'd be somewhere near some clothing store or something, and maybe I could pickpocket someone to get some cash for shoes. Or even steal a pair, I wasn't against it. If I had to steal to survive I would do it, I don't steal for what I don't need though, just the bare minimum. My stinging feet told me shoes were a minimum right now.

The hours ticked by slowly, and boy was I tired of mentally singing country songs while counting cars. But then a city came into view, glorious and towering in the distance, a beacon against the setting sun. A huge grin split my face, eyes sparkling at all the lights that twinkled as the city started to light up as the world's natural light started to dim. Sure enough as we neared the city a large storage factory came into view, a couple other semis already unloaded or being unloaded. I just needed to be patient and wait until this guy left to go sleep and I would be free to get the hell out of here!

Soon the truck was parked and turned off, and I heard the door squeak open.

"Hey Rick, how was the trip?" Another, younger voice asked as the trucker grunted as he got out of the truck.

"Fuckin' long as hell. Not happy I have to head back tonight." 'Rick' replied.

 _Oh no, oh nononono. Shit!_ I mentally screamed, quickly stuffing my garbage into the hoodie pocket and bundling my clothes up, tying them into a bundle using the sweater.

I heard the voices getting faint as the sound of the back door to the cargo trailer was creaked open. I slunk out of the compartment, landing on the floor with a soft thump and slowly creeping to the front of the truck. Peeking out the door window I couldn't see anyone, so as quietly as I could I opened the door just enough to slide out, hoping the sound of the machinery would cover up the noise I was making.

They were unloading everything and making sure it was all there, so paying no attention to me whatsoever. My feet moved quickly, dipping and diving to make sure I wasn't caught by anyone. Thank fuck the pants were actually somewhat staying on. I skidded to a halt outside someone's truck, spotting two people getting closer, clothes clutched to my chest. They hadn't seen me but sure as hell would soon.

 _Please be open, please be open._ I thought hurriedly as I tugged at the backdoor to the truck.

With a small click it opened and I slid inside quickly, the smell of pine filling my senses as I closed the door behind me. I laid down across the floor, face pressed to a pair of green high top converse as I heard the two guys talking as they passed and headed off. All I could hear in my ears was machinery and my own breathing as I waited a couple extra minutes before sitting up slightly. Seeing the converse I shrugged and grinned.

"Mine now~" I hummed and slipped them on my aching feet. They were quite a bit bigger than my feet but the tight laces kept them secure.

Once I was done I quickly grabbed a 20$ bill I spotted in the cupholder and exited the truck, looking around to make sure the coast was clear before bolting for the fence. Easily scaling it I dropped down on the other side and started to run, heading for downtown Ebott. Once I was a ways away from the factory I slowed my pace and took a deep breath, smiling as I pushed my hair out of my face and did a little twirl.

A laugh escaped my lips at that adrenaline rush, and I almost bounced from the pent up energy. Looking around at the buildings that surrounded me, I scooted into an alley and proceeded to toss my old clothes and garbage into the trash, not needing them anymore. Once again I was starting fresh in a new city and this time I was actually excited!

As I got further into town, I looked at all the same old boring shops, visibly annoyed that there wasn't anywhere new I could get food. I growled and bit the inside of my lip, feeling my sharp canine nearly pierce the soft flesh. Deciding to suck it up and ask someone, I spotted a kindly looking brown rabbit monster standing with her child outside a store and saw her give me a sweet smile. I gave a warm one back and walked over to her.

"New to Ebott darling?" She asked kindly, and I felt my cheeks heat a little as I chuckled.

"Is it that obvious?" I replied, awkwardly scratching the back of my neck.

"Quite dearie, is there something you're looking for? Perhaps I can help you." The monster offered.

"Oh! I was looking for a place to maybe grab a bite to eat, somewhere new and different. Tired of seeing all the same old places." I explained to her with a huff.

She laughed softly, eyes twinkling as she looked me over. No doubt she was mildly surprised a human was being so kind, I could read it off her face.

"If you're looking for a bigger meal there's a place called Grillby's in the monster district, but if you're looking for something sweeter you could go to Muffet's, which is down the street from Grillby's. If you head two more blocks north, then start heading east you'll hit the monster district. Kind of hard to miss with how many monsters are there." She told me without hesitation, truly just a kind woman.

My eyes lit up and I gave her a beaming smile. "Thank you so much!" I chimed, waving goodbye to her and her son before heading off in the direction she told me to.

From what I could put together the monster district was right outside of the downtown area, slightly bleeding into it a bit with a monster owned business here and there. The woman was right though, I could really tell when I got to said area. There were so many monsters, and so many different kinds too! I gave smiles to monsters I passed, getting a lot in return, even some shocked expressions. As I wandered so many things caught my eye, and it made me realize this place was so beautiful. 

The buildings were kept in top condition, the fact they were quite new helping as well. Plants I had never seen before were in planters hanging from lamp posts or sitting outside shops, as well as foliage I recognized as well. The streets were multicolored stones in intricate patterns, giving it a slightly more renaissance feel that I adored. Everything here was just so gorgeous, and I could feel myself getting swept up by all of it.

Soon enough though, after asking for directions once more from another kind monster, I arrived at Muffet's. It was well decorated, with an overall spider theme that I found adorable. Humming, I stepped inside, hearing the small bell above the door chime. The place was decently busy, mostly monsters sitting at tables or ordering food from the front counter. I walked up and waited my turn, humming a soft tune as I rocked back and fourth from the pads of my feet to my heels and back. Soon I was up at the counter and I realized why this place was spider themed. A six armed spider woman with beautiful lavender skin was behind the counter, hands multitasking while she smiled at me.

"What can I get you dear?" She asked, and I looked at all the drinks and treats they had.

"Uhm.. could I get a mug of spider cider and a spider donut please?" I asked softly and smiled, and saw her nod.

Quickly she went to work, getting my donut and cider in record speed. I paid with a smile and gave a warm thank you before heading to sit down at a table near the window. I sat down on one of the plush chairs and let out a sigh, carding my fingers through my hair before taking a bite of the spider donut. My eyes widened and I let out a small, quiet moan at how good it was, feeling it melt in my mouth.

I looked out the window as I ate my donut and drank my cider, enjoying the tastes immensely. I knew that I would definitely be coming back here at some point, if not multiple times while I stayed here in Ebott. Grillby's would be the next place to go once I had enough money. If it was as good as this place I definitely wanted to go!

A group of monsters coming towards the shop caught my eye as I finished off my donut, and my curiosity peaked. A set of four skeletons came in, led by a bubbly one standing at about six feet, with star shaped eyelights in his sockets. A much taller one in an orange hoodie was close behind, hands in his pockets in a relaxed, but standoff gesture.

Close behind them was another pair, a skeleton an inch or two taller than the first one shoved past the others, yelling something about 'his greatness' being worthy of going first. He was dressed quite similarly to the starry eyed one, but with purples instead of blues. Lastly came in another uber tall skeleton, in a purple hoodie with a black hood, black eyepatch over his right socket. I noted his bones were slightly yellow, hinting to heavy smoking.

While the two loud skeletons bickered back and fourth, the taller ones chatted, obviously more calm. I took a guess that they were probably siblings, the taller ones being the more older and mature ones. Muffet herself seemed used to them though, showing they were most likely regulars if they were allowed to be this loud in a cafe.

I studied their appearances as discreetly as I could, making sure to study hard so if push came to shove I could shift into one of them. Considering I couldn't hear the older brothers that well though the speech of them would come out broken if I tried to use their voices. What I didn't notice as I was glancing down at my cider is the fact the two older brothers had caught me looking.

"Whatcha starin' at darlin'?" A gruff, deep voice said next to my ear, making me jump and let out a small yelp.

My eyes widened as the purple hoodied skeleton stood to the left of me, and his magic smacked me in the face like a ton of bricks.

"Rude to stare honestly." Another, smoother voice came from the other side of me.

My gaze shifted to the orange hoodied skeleton at my other side, magic just as strong. I swallowed a lump in my throat, face heating up a little in embarrassment at being caught. Though they just thought I was staring to stare, not to use my talent. One bonus was that it seemed to work very well with monsters, thus why I was so excited to come to Ebott.

Because I could sense their magic and use it to activate my talent. I found it so intriguing myself, but knowing monsters were made of magic made it easier to believe it could be possible. This technique could make me a carbon copy of any monster I got close enough to, but it did expend more energy because it was so on point and required more focus. Other shifts would be less accurate, as I was going off of what I could see, not what I could feel like with monsters.

 _These are.. definitely boss monsters. There's no way with that amount of magic that they aren't._ I thought to myself and let out a shaky breath.

The purple one grinned and leaned a little closer and I felt.. breath?! The warm air hit my hair and I could hear him about to say something when a loud voice cut through the air.

"LEAVE THE HUMAN ALONE, SHE CLEARLY DOESN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH YOU BONEHEADS!" The purple clad loud skeleton said with an annoyed expression.

"PLEASE BROTHER, LETS JUST GET OUR FOOD AND GO." The blue dressed one said.

Thankfully that was enough for them to get off my ass, giving me one last look before walking casually over to their brothers. I could tell they didn't trust me one bit, and my instincts kicked in. So I quickly finished my cider before politely standing and waving to Muffet with a smile before leaving the shop.

My feet just automatically started taking me away from the cafe, just knowing I had to get somewhere else before they found me again. A couple blocks later I felt more relaxed and slid my hands into my pockets, feeling the tension slightly leave my back.

"Well I guess I met my first boss monsters today, didn't know such monsters casually went into cafes with their younger brothers." I said to no one but myself, letting out a small chuckle.

Looking up at the sky, I let out a happy sigh. The sky was growing darker, the remaining sunset cloaked by a blanket of night sky and stars. In terms of finding a place to rest, I had no idea, not knowing the city well enough yet. As I was thinking about it, I heard an all too familiar voice, and my head whipped to my left. There stood an older man chatting with someone, but I knew all too well who that was.

Agent Steris. He had been around me since I was a kid, first a bodyguard, then a trainer, and now a bounty hunter also looking for my head. My back collided with the wall as I hid from his sight, nails scratching against the brick of the building I was pressed firmly to. He wasn't dressed in that stupid suit so he was clearly off duty, but I knew better. That gun was always tucked under his shirt in the waistband of his pants.

Quickly I slid into the nearest alleyway, deciding it would be smartest if I shifted into someone until I got further away. My mind drifted to the skeletons I met earlier, and by second nature I shifted into the orange hoodied one, knowing he would stand out less then the other one. I looked down at my hands, finding so weird I was literally staring at bones.

Looking down at my body I could see that the clothes fit better now, still a little baggy but looking better, fit the skeleton's style too. My bra and panties dug into my bones and I let out a small wince, but knew it was best if I didn't try to half strip in an alley. Guess this body was just that much bigger, and _damn_ I was tall! I tested my voice, feeling it come out a little more scratchy than it should've, most likely since I wasn't used to not having actual vocal chords.

Damn having enough of my energy to keep this fucking body going was draining me already, I knew I needed to move. My feet took me to the other side of the alley and I casually walked out, hands going to my pockets as I somewhat mimicked the posture of the other skeleton, but more on edge. A dull throb radiated through all my.. bones as I walked, from both the heavy shift and the fact I was expending so much just to keep up this facade. I still couldn't get how I was breathing, how I could feel things. This form was sapping too much energy, way too much to simply give a skeleton basic senses.

"HEY YOU! STOP!" I heard a voice behind me that made me tense, that voice was all too familiar.

My head turned to look behind me, body half turned as I saw that dreaded group of four skeletons. I felt my eyesockets widen slightly and I tried my best not to let my nervousness seep through the illusion I was putting up. I made sure the 'personality' was kept up as I gave them a lazy smile, trying not to look as worried as I was.

"Uh.. yes? Can I help ya?" I asked.

"WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" The blue clad one asked. "YOU WEREN'T IN THIS UNIVERSE BEFORE." He stated, making panic settle in my chest.

 _So there's a set amount of skeletons?! OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT._ I thought in panic, not even fully processing he said 'not from this universe'.

"I-I-.." I tried to stutter out, feeling sweat rolling down my skull. Out of the corner of my socket I saw that blasted Agent Steris with his friend, and knew my best option was to go with these monsters.

The main skeleton walked forward and gave me a bright smile, adorable star shaped eyelights looking up at me.

"DON'T WORRY, YOU'RE A PAPY OBVIOUSLY. WE CAN HELP YOU AND TELL YOU EVERYTHING WHEN WE GET HOME. DON'T BE SCARED." He cooed, and I actually felt myself calming a little as I nodded.

"Thank you.." I murmured as I felt my arm being taken by the shorter skeleton, and he started tugging me in the direction of presumably their home.

The other loud skeleton came up to the other side of me and took my other arm, and I chuckled a little at that, hands still in my hoodie. I could sense the presence of the other two skeletons behind me, obviously keeping an eye on me since I was an intruder in their lives.

"SO MY NAME IS BLUE, AND THAT’S MAUVE. THE TWO BONEHEADS BEHIND US ARE STRETCH AND CASH. WE KNOW YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW WHATS GOING ON, BUT I ASSURE YOU THAT THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE WILL HELP MAKE YOU FEEL AT HOME!" Blue explained with a happy grin, tugging my arm so I followed him down a more rich looking area, buildings having turned into houses. BIG houses.

The further along we walked, the larger and nicer the houses started to get to the point of being basically mansions. All the while Blue and Mauve were chattering away with me casually adding in responses once and a while with a hum or a chuckle. They really seemed to trust me easily and enjoy my presence, most likely because I looked like their older brothers. 

Oh if only they knew. Though I could still feel the other two's gazes on my back. Soon we came to a gorgeous mansion looking home, fenced off with a marble and wrought iron fence. I could spot the yard and see it was well taken care of, flower beds and pots all groomed nicely, decorations all regal and clean.

"Wow.." I murmured, looking awestruck at the house as Blue pushed open one side of the gate while simultaneously pulling me through towards the house. The door was flung open by a tall skeleton adorned in red and black, scars marring his left socket and sharp teeth pulled into a snarl.

"IT TOOK YOU MORONS L-" His sentence was cut short at the sight of me, and I gave him a grin.

"Hey, I would wave but my hands are full at the moment." I joked, referring to the two skeletons grasping me.

The skeleton huffed and turned, leaving the door open as he disappeared further inside. I heard him yell a name, Sans? Isn't.. that a font? Then again all the names I had heard so far weren't your normal names you hear on the street. I wasn't one to judge though. I was led into the home, in the foyer, then pulled forward further into the house.

Centered in the middle of the home was a grand staircase that led to the second floor, a plush red carpet rolling down the middle of it that spanned a good bit of the stairs. I was tugged by Blue once more to my left where I was met with.. a lot of eyelights. It was a gorgeous room, with a high ceiling like the rest of the house, a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The couch, loveseat, and recliners were black leather, rivets and accents on them a gleaming gold.

The coffee table and side tables were carved wood, tops of them glass, flecks of gold in said glass. A huge flatscreen adorned the wall, at least 120 inches of HD glory, not to mention all the gaming consoles that sat below it. A large, deep blue rug covered a lot of the floor below the sitting area, covering a gorgeous dark hardwood floor. Plants and decorations were neatly set around the room, and a silver tiger statue on a pedestal caught my eye. The walls were painted a soft cream and the large windows were covered by blue curtains that matched the rug.

"so buddy.. where is your Sans?" I heard a voice ask me while I was looking around. So they came in pairs? It made my eyelights flick to a skeleton in a blue hoodie, probably about 6'2" with a wide frame. Complete cuddle material.

_Focus!!_

"I.. don't know. I was just walking home and then all of a sudden I was here. Wasn't expecting to find more people like me and my bro.." I said, looking away from them, looking at my converse clad feet.

When I looked back up I finally took in how many were actually in the room. Six sets of brothers stood, and sat, before me. All of them had a taller brother and a shorter brother. So shorter ones were 'Sans' and the taller ones were 'Paps', made sense why they had odd nicknames now. They were all looking me over, some gazes friendly, others not so much. Suddenly this felt like a very very bad idea to come here.

"well you can stay here till we find a way to get ya home." Sans said.

"NOW FOR INTRODUCTIONS~!" Blue squealed happily and started to point as he listed people off.

First was this universe's pair, promptly named Sans and Papyrus. They said since it was their universe they didn't have a reason to have nicknames. Next was two skeletons clad in red and black, one of them being the skeleton that had opened the door when I arrived. The shorter one was Red and the taller one was Edge, perfect fit for the perma-scowling bonehead. After that came a shorter skeleton clad in red and black and a super tall one in a gorgeous black jacket with a furred hood. 

Promptly they introduced themselves.. well the shorter one did. They were known as Black and Mutt, though I cringed a bit at Mutt's nickname. Already I wanted to give the quiet skeleton another name. Lastly but not least, a shorter skeleton gave me a small bow, hands clasped behind his back. He introduced himself as Merlot, and indicated to an adorable tall skeleton curled up on the couch, peeking over at me from over a pillow as his brother Coffee.

"Well it's nice to meet all of you, glad I'm not alone in this shitty situation." I said and gave a small bow as a joke, grinning at them.

"SO WHAT DO WE CALL HIM?" Asked Papyrus, making all the brothers look between each other with confused glances.

"How about Dragon?" Cash said as he slung an arm over my shoulder, and I felt a phalange poke my sternum, indicating my dragon sweater I currently wore. The scent of smoke and spice engulfed me and I almost melted into his touch, but kept my composure. Geez I was touch starved.

One by one they all agreed, and I shrugged with a nod, smiling over at Cash.

"Sounds good to me." I said, letting out a yawn without meaning to. This form was really taxing me.

"TCH A LAZYBONES JUST LIKE MY BROTHER. ITS NO PROBLEM DRAGON, I THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE WILL SHOW YOU YOUR ROOM!" The bundle of energy said, taking my arm without hesitation.

I gave a lazy wave to all of the other skeletons, getting a few in return as I was basically dragged to the staircase and up the stairs. The second floor was as nice as the first, having the same premise of decorations and colors. My eyelights scanned around, humming a little as Blue kept leading me somewhere.

"SO THERE ARE EIGHT ROOMS ON THE SECOND FLOOR, ALL TAKEN BY US, AND THEN SIX ON THE THIRD FLOOR. SORRY ABOUT THE TREK." Blue explained as I circled around the left side with him, being taken to a second, slightly smaller set of stairs.

"Nah that's fine Blue, just nice to have a roof over my head." I said with a smile.

"OH GOOD! I WAS WORRIED. THEN AGAIN IF YOU'RE LIKE MY BROTHER YOU CAN JUST TELEPORT ANYWAYS." Blue said with a roll of his eyelights, making me blink.

 _Hope they don't ask me to show off something like that or I'm screwed._ I thought with light panic.

We came to a door, nothing on it, and it was opened to a decently large room with quite plain decorating. Then again it was more a guest room so of course it wasn't heavily customized. A large window overlooked the front yard, gentle curtains covering it, and letting the moonlight spill into the room. There against the wall to my right was a huge king sized bed with oh so comfy looking sheets on it, and I could feel every nerve of my boney body begging to crash onto it.

"ONE MOMENT! I WILL GO AND GET SOME MORE COMFY CLOTHES FROM MY BROTHER FOR YOU TO SLEEP IN TONIGHT!" Blue told me, and I gave a tired nod as he ran off down the hall to another room. Well at least I knew one of my floormates now.

Soon he came zooming back with some clothes and handed them to me with a happy grin. I took them and gave him my own smile, patting his shoulder.

"Thanks Blue, I'm glad I met you." I said, being genuinely honest.

Blue got a slight cyan tint to his cheekbones from the praise, happy he could be of help. My best guess is it was the way the skeleton brothers manifested a blush, most likely with magic of course.

"OF COURSE DRAGON! HAVE A GOOD NIGHT AND I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW~" The adorable skeleton told me before heading back downstairs.

I chuckled as I closed the door behind me, locking it as well. It was then finally that I could let this form go, and with a painful shift back, I was back to my 5'7" self in way too baggy clothes. With an exhausted sigh I shucked off the pants and my panties, sliding on the basketball shorts I had been given. Then I pulled the sweater over my head and tossed it on the floor, unclipping my bra as well and shucking it to the side. Unfolding the orange tank top, I slipped it on over my head, seeing it as quite a bit too big, but it was better than nothing. Last but not least I kicked off my converse haphazardly, hearing the thump of them hitting the floor. I prayed that the teleporting skeletons of the house knew what privacy was so I wouldn't be caught, then again a night of good rest is better than nothing before I'm on the run again.

Slowly I climbed my way into the bed and slid under the covers with a soft groan, snuggling deep into the bed. It felt so heavenly and I was so tired that not even the loudness downstairs could keep sleep away. One last thought crossed my mind before passing out.

_What the hell have I gotten myself into this time?_


	2. Blending In

Please.. Please.. Please! PLEASE!!

_**IT HURTS!!** _

_**ITHURTSITHURTSITHURTSITHURTSITHURTS!!** _

_**STOP! NO!!!** _

I woke up with a jolt, feeling my breath coming out ragged and short. The ringing in my ears was deafening, echoing my own hollow wails that rattled my skull from the past. 

My hands went to my neck instinctively, clutching and scratching. My nails scratched all over my neck, jaw, and chest, leaving deep red marks. The screams wouldn’t go away, they wouldn’t leave.

_Please I’ll be good, don’t use the saw.. Pleasepleasepleasepl-_

My train of thought halted as my eyes finally lost their haze and I could see where I really was. Everything came to focus and I could feel my breath starting to slow, the screams fading to nothing.

I swallowed thickly and let out a shaky sigh before sitting up, eyes drifting to the window to see if I could find out what time it was. The sun was cresting over the horizon so I knew that dawn had struck not that long ago.

With a groan I stood and rolled my shoulders, feeling very little stiffness surprisingly. For how many times I shifted yesterday, plus staying as Dragon for so long, I thought I would be exhausted. 

The warmth of the bed called back to me but I had a regimen that I wanted to do before the other people in the house started to wake up. I didn’t know how much time I had before the more energetic skeletons started to move around.

Looking for my clothes I had tossed on the floor, I picked them up and looked them over. I knew I didn’t have anything else so they would do, hell they were super comfy anyways so I sure as hell didn’t mind.

I pulled my bra and panties from the mix, stuffing them between the mattress and boxspring so that they wouldn’t be spotted if someone else decided to come into my room. After that I picked up my clothes, converse included, and padded to my door.

Not wanting to take any risks I shifted into Dragon before opening my door, looking both ways before stepping out into the hallway. I closed my door behind me and listened, enhanced hearing able to hear the soft breathing coming from the rooms on this floor. I knew four skeletons shared this floor with me but which ones I wasn’t sure.

Well I knew one, which was Stretch, and the smell of smoke gave me the hint Cash was also on this floor. Going off of the sounds, I avoided certain rooms. What caught my eye was a slightly ajar door at the end of the hall, and I quietly walked over to said door.

_Bingo, a bathroom._ I thought to myself as I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

I double checked the lock to make sure it really was _locked_ before I did anything. A small smile graced my skull before I shifted back to my true form and looked around the bathroom. The floor was light grey tiles, while the walls were smooth multicolored stones that glimmered in the light oh so prettily. 

A large shower was in one corner, frosted glass separating it from the rest of the bathroom. Off against another wall was a huge jacuzzi bath that called my name, and oh how I wish I could lay back in it and live my best life for a couple hours. I knew that wasn’t a smart idea though and thought to save that for another time. A clean toilet sat next to the sink, which was a single sink with lots of counter space. 

The same stones covered the shower and bath, as well as the sink, making them fit seamlessly with the walls. The decorating otherwise was simple, and the only other thing that caught my eye was the broad leafed plant that sat next to an ornate towel rack.

I went over to the sink, looking into the golden framed mirror at myself, shaking my head. Raw red scratches covered my ivory skin from my jaw to my cleavage, and I could feel them softly throbbing. None of them were bleeding though, thankfully, and I knew they would be gone by tomorrow. 

Then my eyes drifted down to the sink and surrounding counter. A few things sat here and there but there wasn’t a lot. Then again what do you really need when you’re a skeleton? A toothbrush maybe?

_More like a body brush at that point._ I thought to myself and couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

With a hum I set my clothes on the counter before stripping bare and looking at myself in the mirror again. I grinned at the shining nipple piercings, simple silver bars, seeing the light flicker on them. But then my eyes roamed more and I frowned. Scars marred my entire body from my neck to my feet, though my face stayed bare.

_That face is too pretty to ruin.._ A voice echoed in my head, making me shiver and turn away from the mirror.

I padded over to the shower and opened the glass, looking around. It was very roomy, and the controls were simple. So I turned on the water, making sure it was decently hot before stepping inside. The moment I went under the water I let out a groan and closed my eyes, feeling all the tension in my body slowly starting to melt away. 

The water even soothed the stinging of my scratches, which I made sure not to touch too much. I wet my hair, running my fingers through the now soaked locks as a haphazard way to get the tangles out. I knew I would be Dragon for most of the whole day but at least I could keep myself groomed.

I didn’t bother using any of the body washes in there, finding it odd to use one of the skeleton’s things like that. The clothes were one thing but using their body wash randomly might be creepy. 

So I stepped out of the shower after wringing out my hair and walked over to the towel rack, grabbing one of the fluffy towels and starting to dry myself off. Seeing myself in the mirror again out of the corner of my eye, I got curious. So I walked back over before closing my eyes and shifting back into Dragon.

When I opened my eyesockets I let out a soft gasp and leaned forward, large bony hands supporting me on the counter as I inspected my reflection. I looked a lot like Stretch, that was for sure, but I had some differences. 

My skull was the same shape, and I had his freckles too. But what contrasted me was that I had two decently large fangs along my row of teeth, and my eyelights were golden, just like in my human form. It was a pair of traits that never changed, no matter what form I took. More demons from my past I suppose.

My eyelights roamed down to my body as I stood back once more to take it all in. This body had to be almost seven feet tall by my best guess. None of my scars showed on the bones, bonus of having taken the form of a monster. But I truly was just a skeleton, no flesh or anything. 

My phalanges hesitantly slid up my ribcage and I hooked them around one of my ribs. Part of me expected something to stop me, but nothing did. I ended up sticking my whole hand under my ribs and nothing!

I don’t know why this astounded me so much but it did. The fact they were literally walking skeletons fucked with my head a bit. No wonder why it took so much energy, I wasn’t just hiding my face, BUT ALL MY FUCKING ORGANS AND FLESH.

“Geez.. takes having a bony frame to a whole new level.” I said with a snicker.

I then took my cargo shorts and put them on first, making sure they were settled comfortably on my pelvis before pulling my hoodie over my head. Shoes came next, and I knelt down to tie them up after having to untie them to get them on right as Dragon. When I stood, I gave myself a grin in the mirror.

“Lookin’ good bonehead.” I complimented myself before picking up my.. well Stretch’s clothes and heading to put them in my room for now.

I walked down the hall, humming a little as I dropped off the clothes in my room, tossing them on the bed. Afterwards I closed my door again and slid my hands into my hoodie pocket as I headed downstairs to perhaps get a snack before everyone woke up.

When I was heading down the main staircase though I heard noise coming from somewhere in the house and let out a groan, knowing I had to face someone in there bright and early. So I sucked it up and walked to where the sound was coming from, and sure enough, past the living room was the kitchen.

It was very spacious with nice redwood cabinets and brand new looking appliances. An island sat in the middle of the room, one half higher than the other, redwood with black marble countertops like the rest of the kitchen. Four chairs sat at the higher end, black steel with red cushions. 

A window that overlooked the front yard poured the growing amount of light into the room. It also gave plenty of light for the couple plants that were around. The grey shade of paint on the walls was light enough that it didn’t make the room look bland and the white tiled floor was squeaky clean.

My eyelights finally landed on who was awake at this time and it was none other than Papyrus and Blue, happily bustling about making breakfast for presumably everyone in the house.

I mean with how much food they had out I was pretty damn sure. Out of the corner of my socket, off to the right, I could see in the next room over that Mauve was setting the table for everyone.

I walked over to the island and pulled out a chair slightly, alerting the two cooking skeletons to my presence as I got up on the chair.

“OH MY STARS, GOOD MORNING DRAGON!” Blue said happily with a big grin and I smiled back.

“Morning you two, didn’t think anyone would be up this early.” I explained as I rested my arms on the countertop.

“WE ALWAYS GET UP BRIGHT AND EARLY TO START MAKING BREAKFAST FOR EVERYONE.” Papyrus told me and I nodded in thought.

Soon I heard another pair of feet and looked to my right to see Mauve standing there, raising a brow bone at seeing me sitting there.

“IT’S SURPRISING TO SEE YOU UP. I THOUGHT YOU’D SLEEP IN LIKE MY LAZY BROTHER.” The purple clad skeleton told me, hands resting on his hips as he looked me up and down.

“Eh I had a bad nightmare, didn’t wanna sleep again.” I explained with a shrug. I didn’t see a point in lying about it. Well about that part at least.

I could feel three sets of eyelights on me as I preoccupied myself with looking at the pot and pan holder hanging above the island.

“ARE.. YOU OKAY DRAGON?” I heard Papyrus ask me, and my gaze flicked back to him.

“Hmm? Oh I’m fine, they’re quite common. Don’t worry about me.” I said and gave a grin with a thumbs up.

They didn’t look fully convinced but decided not to push it, giving me nods and worried smiles. Mauve joined in on helping them cook, and I couldn’t help but lazily watch them. It was peaceful listening to them chatter, and occasionally they would talk to me, prompting me to give a half-assed response.

At some point I heard something set in front of me and saw it was a glass of orange juice, and I looked up to see Papyrus smiling at me.

“I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE SOMETHING TO DRINK.” He told me and I gave him a warm smile and a thank you. He gave his own smile in return before going back to cooking.

I then stared at this glass of orange juice like it was the most magical thing I had ever witnessed in my life. Thoughts started rushing through my head at how I was supposed to drink this, because obviously they expected me to.

Which meant eating and drinking was normal for them. I picked up the glass with a slightly shaky hand and brought it to my teeth, making sure no one was watching in case I spilled this all over myself.

_Alright uh.. think of drinking I guess? Yeah! I’m going to drink this glass of juice!_ I thought to myself, and repeated it like a mantra in my head.

I pressed the glass gently to my teeth and tilted it up, actually _feeling_ the liquid going into my mouth. I tasted it too! When none fell out of the bottom of my jaw, and I felt refreshed, I almost wanted to cheer.

I drank my first drink as a skeleton! Geez it was something so small but it felt like such a big accomplishment to me. I ended up finishing the whole glass before setting it down and letting out a pleased sigh as I leaned back in the chair.

“So when is breakfast gonna be ready?” I asked curiously, now wanting to try my hand at eating.

“IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES I’D SAY, EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD BE COMING DOWN SOON IF THEY’RE UP.” Blue told me.

As if on cue, I could hear footsteps approaching, three pairs to be exact. I halfway turned in the chair to see who would be coming in. Soon I saw Edge, Black, and Merlot walking into the kitchen, the latter holding the newspaper in his hand.

“Mornin’.” I called with a lazy wave, and they looked at me with shock. Well Edge and Black did, Merlot seemed only mildly surprised at my presence.

“WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU DOING UP THIS EARLY?” Edge asked me, coming to stand near me and look me over.

“Nightmare.” I reiterated for the new flock of skeletons in the room.

I heard Black and Merlot suck in a breath that caught my attention, though I pretended that I didn’t hear it as I turned to look at Edge. It made me think that perhaps their own Papyrus’ had nightmares or something of the sort. Or maybe because I was a Papyrus they felt concern, I wasn’t sure. My eyelights locked with Edge’s and he was the first to look away with a grumble. His arms crossed and he gave me a glare.

“Had a shower to calm my nerves, then heard someone up already so I thought I’d come down.” I said, looking back at Edge and giving him a small smile.

“WHATEVER. PERHAPS IT MEANS YOU’RE MORE USEFUL THAN MY WORTHLESS BROTHER THOUGH.” Edge said and I rolled my eyelights.

I didn’t say anything about it though, not in the mood to start a fight.

Black and Edge both got cups of coffee from the pot that had just finished brewing before heading to the dining table. Merlot on the other hand walked over to me and sat in the chair next to me.

“What kind of nightmares do you have?” He asked, and I could feel the older brother concern kicking in hard.

“Ones about my past.” I said, purposefully keeping it vague.

I could feel tenseness growing in my shoulders, and the whispers ringing in my skull. I think the others in the room could sense it as well, for soon I felt a hand on my shoulder. My eyelights quickly flicked to my right and I saw Merlot looking at me, and his hand gave a squeeze. I gave a silent nod, thankful he didn’t push it.

Soon breakfast was ready and more of the skeletons started coming downstairs, most of them ‘taking shortcuts’ which I found out to be a form of teleporting. We were all herded to the table and surprisingly Merlot plopped down right beside me, on my left. 

I looked over at him with a confused glance but he paid no mind as he sipped his coffee. Speaking of coffee, the skeleton named after said drink sat on the other side of Merlot and gave me a shy smile. To my right I looked over and saw Blue beaming happily at me.

Some of the other skeletons were still looking at me a little cautiously, but I understood. Hell I’d be cautious if I was them.

Everyone started to plate their food, and I just sat there awkwardly. I had never been part of a huge family meal _ever_. Hell I had barely even had a proper meal! My phalanges curled and uncurled under the table, and soon I could feel sets of eyelights on me, filled with confusion and concern.

“uhhh Dragon? buddy? ya gonna eat?” Sans asked, fork already halfway to his mouth.

“Never really.. had a meal like this..” I murmured without realizing it.

Blue let out a loud gasp and started piling food on my plate, making me click back into reality. I started to stutter for him to stop, saying it was too much food. Blue wasn’t having any of it though and threateningly pointed a fork at me.

“NO YOU’RE GONNA EAT LOTS OF FOOD AND YOU’RE GONNA LIKE IT!” He said and gave me an adorable glare.

My cheekbones started to heat up and I nodded, hands resting on the chair between my femurs as I waited. Once my plate was sufficiently filled with food, Blue gave me a warm smile and pat my head. I looked down at the food and fidgeted a bit before picking up my fork and starting to eat. Once again I had to focus super hard on eating but once I got the hang of it, it wasn’t that bad.

The tenseness in the room disappeared almost instantly as everyone started to eat, starting to chat and laugh. I mostly kept to myself though, eating my food and complimenting the cooks on the amazing food. Merlot occasionally made conversation with me, which prompted others to do the same. It felt nice.. it actually felt like I belonged. Soon a smile actually graced my teeth and I started to actually talk with the other skeletons.

When all was said and done I started to pick up plates, taking them into the kitchen to be washed. It was the least I could do for them. Blue and Papyrus followed me with more dishes.

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO HELP DRAGON, WE CAN GET EVERYTHING CLEANED UP.” Papyrus said as I started a sink of water.

I shook my head and smiled at them.

“Nah it’s the least I can do.” I said softly and poured some dish soap into the water. Afterwards I rolled up my sleeves so they wouldn’t get wet.

Soon bubbles were covering my hands and I started to wash the dishes, humming a soft tune as I did so. Blue was on drying duty, making sure everything was spotless before handing it to Papyrus to be put away. Doing this we got the dishes done super fast and I got tons of thanks and a couple hugs from the two energetic skeletons.

“YOU’RE SUPER HELPFUL! MOST OF OUR BROTHERS CAN BE SUCH LAZYBONES SOMETIMES.” Papyrus explained with a happy smile.

“Guess I’m different.” I said with a chuckle and slid my hands into my pockets as I headed to go find.. something to do. I wasn’t sure what.

As I entered the living room, I noticed that most of the skeletons were missing, and decided to snoop a bit. I walked past the main staircase to the other half of the house, keeping a close ear out for any talking.

I came to a door and heard muffled talking, which piqued my interest and I slinked over to the door. I quietly pressed my skull to the door, hearing multiple voices on the other side. I recognized Merlot’s mature tone immediately, and Stretch’s honey smooth voice. Quickly I caught onto Cash’s voice as well, and another, rough and baritone voice. Perhaps Red? Finally I heard Sans speaking above all of them.

“What do you think he’s gone through? He’s very.. traumatized.” I heard Merlot say, and could immediately tell they were talking about me. Why wouldn’t they be?

“well.. nightmares, lack of family connection, obvious lack of magic, and no Sans?” I heard Sans say.

“his old man was probably batshit crazy.” Red growled.

“Ya think a Gaster could be that vicious?” Cash asked.

“what else could it be? he seems so uncomfortable even around us, that bastard must’ve done something horrible to him.” Red snarled, surprisingly aggressive.

_So a lot of their dads are.. not the nicest of monsters and they’re named Gaster? Good to know._ I thought to myself as I kept listening.

“The poor boy, I wish I could help him. He seems so.. lost.” I heard Merlot say with a tired sigh, which tugged at my heartstrings.

“Maybe we can, just show him what family is actually like.” Stretch finally chimed in.

“good plan, but let’s be gentle. maybe see if we can get him to talk about his past a bit.” Sans cautioned.

“and who the fuck is gonna ask him about that?” Red asked, sounding annoyed.

“Well he seems the most willing to talk to either Paps or Blue, or maybe even.. you.” Cash said.

There was silence for a moment before a sigh rung out.

“Fine I shall try and talk to him.” Merlot said and I heard heels clicking on the hardwood floor.

My sockets widened and I scampered away from the door, used to being silent so not a sound was made as I quickly ran to the living room. Luckily no one was in there and I threw myself on the couch, turning on the tv on low volume.

My enhanced hearing could hear the clicking coming towards me and I acted nonchalant, one hand over the back of the couch and the other holding the remote as I channel surfed. The clicking stopped right next to me and I felt the spot next to me dip, making me shift my glowing golden gaze. Merlot sat there, an serious look on his face, and my brow bones furrowed as I looked at him.

“Was I not supposed to touch the tv? I’m sorry..” I said softly and started to put down the remote, but soon felt a hand on mine.

I looked down and saw his hand resting on mine, and my grip on the remote tightened as I looked over and met his ruby red eyelight. It was now I noticed the scars that carved his left socket, no eyelight showing in it. Was he blind in that socket?

“Dragon.. I want to ask you some things.” Merlot said softly and politely as he took the remote from my hand and muted the tv.

I knew this was coming since I overheard them, but I was still nervous. What if they knew more than I realized? If I had a heart at this moment it would be racing as I have a shaky nod.

“So.. I don’t want to spook you but.. I want to know about your past. You seem to have had a difficult one, and maybe explaining things might help us to understand why you’re.. different.” Merlot explained, setting the remote on the coffee table.

“Is.. me being different bad?” I asked, wounded a little at that. I had been branded _different_ my whole life. I just wanted to fit in somewhere.

“No, no! You just seem like you’re holding something in, maybe a lot of things.” Merlot said and rested a hand on my shoulder.

_Fuck you for being a good older brother._ I thought to myself as I felt tears welling up in my sockets, magic probably.

Telling the full truth was out of the question, as I didn’t want to get caught and even though I had only been here a day I didn’t want all these skeletons to get in trouble. I was getting in way too deep, and I was about to plunge further. I could weave lies easily but this felt hard, and I knew some truth was going to slip in but still relate to their lives nonetheless.

“I.. since I was a very small kid, uh, as far as I can remember I’ve been.. hurt. My father used to do so many tests on me, testing my limits, testing what I could do or he could do.” I felt a lump in my nonexistent throat.

“He kept me in the lab almost all the time, I never got to see our house, feel at home. I was always in pain, always crying, the only time I felt happy was..” My mind drifted to _her_ , the only person that cared. She was like a mother, sister, my whole family. “Was when Sans snuck into the lab, when dad was out.. he.. he would bring food and talk to me, keep me sane. Dad never tested on him, sometimes I was jealous, sometimes I was glad. No one should go through what I went through.” I explained.

I wasn’t even looking at Merlot but I could feel him tensing as he listened. I could feel the hot tears slip down my cheekbones, shaky breath making my whole ribcage shudder. I gripped the couch for dear life as I continued. I could hear the machinery again, the clanking of sterile tools on the tray, my own begging and screaming, _his voice telling me to hush_.

“He wanted to see how far he could suppress my magic before I died, and I.. I couldn’t fight him. I was left with barely any excess magic, mostly just enough to function, to live. Gaster he.. he wanted to go further, push me harder but.. one day he didn’t come home. The next person I saw was Sans, he told me father had died.. something about work went wrong.” I said softly.

“I actually got to see the outside for the first time in years, go in the house, eat actual food. It wasn’t long after, maybe a few years at most, that the kid came through the Underground and let us all free. We were brand new to the surface, maybe there a.. month? Two months? Before this happened.” I explained with more shaky breaths.

Even if it was partial lies, there was enough truth to have the past ringing in my skull like a death toll. Tears still streamed down my face and I shook badly. I realized my tears were golden magic, just like my eyelights.

Next thing I knew I felt two arms wrapped tightly around me, pulling me against a bony chest. The soft scent of cologne, wine, and ink surrounded me as Merlot held me against his chest. At first I tensed, hands gripping his shirt.

But when he started to run his phalanges gently over my skull and was gently hushing me, telling me it was okay, I broke. I had never had anyone to tell about my past, and even if it was partial lies it was a lot to tell someone. I started sobbing into his chest, gripping him tightly as I almost _wailed_. 

It all crashed on me at once. Tears kept falling, body racked with sobs and cries, breathing ragged. It took a good few minutes for me to calm down, but the elder brother skeleton stayed the whole time. He rocked me gently and murmured to me that it was okay, that I was safe, that I had them now. It was so comforting, and I _did_ feel safe.

When I finally pulled back and wiped away the tears, Merlot gave me a warm smile.

“You must feel very out of place here, and it makes sense now. But know that you’re welcome here.” He told me.

“B-but I don’t have any money or anything I-“ I felt his phalange gently press to my teeth to hush me. I felt my cheekbones heat up a little and willed it to go away before he noticed.

“I will personally cover your expenses until you’re settled and have a job. I’m guessing with how horrible your father was that your gold reserves are non-existent.” Merlot told me, and I nodded with a sad look.

I tensed a little when I heard something behind me, looking back only to see Coffee cautiously coming to sit on my other side. I gave him a smile and he actually smiled back. He was absolutely adorable. He started scribbling on a notepad he had pulled out of his hoodie pocket, and I watched curiously. When he was done he turned it to face me.

**Are you okay?** It read.

“I’m feeling better Coffee, thanks for worrying.” I said and gave him a slightly tired smile.

“Well I will leave you two to socialize, I must go speak with some other skeletons in the house.” Merlot said as he stood, brushing imaginary dust off of his clothes and straightening them before leaving the room.

I knew he was going to go and tell the other skeletons my story, and all I could do was hope that they would believe me. Merlot seemed to at least, and that was good since he seemed like one of the most mature and perceptive skeletons in the house. I turned back to Coffee after his brother left and saw another note.

**Do you play videogames?** He asked me, and I tilted my head slightly as I looked at the large tv in front of us. Out of the corner of my socket I could see him light up a bit and a small smile grace his teeth.

“Uh.. I’ve played a bit but I’m nothing special.” I explained, and heard him scribbling again.

**Maybe I could teach you? I play a lot. If you don’t want to it’s fine though..** He replied, and I chuckled, arm slinging over the back of the couch again as I gave him a grin.

“Why don’t we give it a shot?” I suggested, and I saw his eyelights light up happily as he set his notepad and pen down to quickly go and turn on a console.

I was soon handed a controller as Coffee plopped down next to me, moving his notepad as he turned on the tv before getting comfy on the couch. While he was distracted I decided to quickly look him over curiously, as yesterday I didn’t get a chance and at breakfast I couldn’t see him.

He wore a sweater that once said ‘Lame Guy’, but now said ‘Excited Dude’? A text changing sweater? That was so cool! He also currently had on yellow sweats and black sneakers, and I got a glimpse of a.. Collar? Choker? Something black around his neck. He also had shining golden braces on his canines, which I found intriguing.

I felt a tap on the forehead, and clicked back into reality. Coffee was looking at me, adorable yellow blush on his cheekbones. His pen was raised to my skull, as if to tap me again, and I couldn’t help but snicker. My eyelights drifted to the notebook that was shoved in my face.

**Focus!! Stop staring it’s game time! >:(**

“Sorry about that bud, I didn’t get a good look at ya yesterday.” I said and gave him finger guns with one hand. He blushed more and gave me a huff as he loaded up some multiplayer game.

Soon he was teaching me the ropes of the game the best he could without really talking, though game pings and in-game chat really helped. He was super sweet and patient with me, as I was with him. I got the hang of it quite fast and soon the two of us were laughing and gaming together like we had been doing it forever. It was honestly relaxing, no competitiveness between us as we gamed.

We played for a good couple hours I think before I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I spotted Stretch looking down at me with a small, slightly guarded smile.

“Hey bud, can you come with me for a bit? Some of us wanna talk to ya.” He said, and I started to feel nervous again.

I nodded, not going against him as I turned my controller off and smiled over at Coffee. He gave a nervous smile back and started to write in his notepad. I’m pretty sure the shy skeleton could feel my unease as he turned the notepad towards me, because I could feel his hand rest on my arm.

**Maybe we can play more later..?**

“Of course Coffee, you’re super fun to play with.” I said and smiled, making him smile back as I stood. It felt nice to have bonded a bit with him, though I knew I had a ways to go before gaining any of these skeleton’s full trust.

I gave Stretch a nod, and he started to walk out of the living room, me on his heels. I could hear Coffee start playing again, this time by himself as we promptly left the room and headed across the house. We were heading over to that room that I had heard all the other skeletons talking in earlier, and I could feel my anxiety going through the roof. He walked over to the door and looked back at me to make sure I was there before opening the door.

Inside stood all the mature skeletons of the house, or the ‘Sans’ personalities as I’ve classified them. So obviously this was a very serious talk, that much could be sure. My breath caught in my nonexistent throat and my hands went into my hoodie pocket before I stepped into the room with Stretch behind me. I heard the door close and knew that there was no getting out now.

Quickly, out of instinct, my eyelights darted around the room to look for exits. We were in a giant private library, bookshelves lining the walls. Against the far wall was a grand fireplace with couches and recliners for reading sitting over a bear skin rug. 

Sitting in the center of the room was a floor to ceiling aquarium, exotic fish swimming delicately behind the glass. Off to my right was a row of large windows facing the front of the house, covered by thick red velvet curtains. The scent of books and embers flowed in the room and if not for the situation I’d want to curl up with a book.

The sound of someone clearing their ‘throat’ caught my attention and my molten gold gaze went back over to whom made the noise.

It was Sans, and he stood there with his hands in his pockets as he looked me over. Getting a better look at him, and all the boys, they were truly bara status. Even though I stood taller than any of the Sanses, they were still broad and very intimidating. Not to mention it was now I realized Mutt stood at over eight feet tall!

“so.. Merlot told us about you and about your.. rough past.” Sans started, and my shoulders tensed.

“Yeah I.. yeah.” I said, sounding defeated as I looked at the floor.

“we heard what your asshole of a dad did to you, now it makes sense why you’re on edge. it ain’t fair what he did to ya. like yeah my dad was nuts but.. least i got to live my life.” Red said as he looked up at me.

“So.. we want to help you. Not just with the pain you’ve gone through, but also with your magic issues. We found it odd when you came into the house with so little magic, Stretch and Cash found it weird when they first met you as well.” Merlot explained.

_Well the constant staring last night makes sense now._ I thought and mentally rolled my eyelights as I instead gave a nod.

“do you know what he did to you per chance?” Sans asked me, and I shook my head.

“He had done it for as long as I remember so.. In terms of whether he used magic or machinery I couldn’t tell you, I’m sorry.” I said, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

I heard a couple sighs at that, and looked at them, brow bones furrowed. Hell, I didn’t even know I had magic. Yet if monsters are telling me that I have magic, that means I actually do as a human. Is that what gave me the ability to shift as I did? 

If that was true it makes sense why the bastards that tested on me never could figure out why I could do what I do. Because I escaped before monsters had come to the surface, there was no magical research done for them to reference.

It made so many things start to race through my head, made me start to think about my whole life over. If I could already shift like I was, what else could I do when I unlocked my power? They want me as strong as them? So I’d be a boss.. human?

Well they saw me as a monster anyways so I suppose it made it easier. How they were going to help me I didn’t know, but my story would be able to solidify why I didn’t know how to do anything magical at least. But the thought of me having **Boss Monster** status one day made me both excited and extremely nervous. It would be even harder to hide from the agents at that point. But it seemed these skeletons weren’t letting me go anywhere any time soon anyways.

“Hmm can I ask ya to do somethin’?” Mutt asked, and I heard his rough and deep voice for the first time. It sent shivers down my spine.

_Damn that’s hot.._ I thought before looking up at him and nodding.

“Obviously ya can eat with no issues, so let’s try somethin’ small yeah? Try doin’ this.” He said and slowly a burnt orange magical tongue slid from between his sharp teeth. Two shiny gold piercings sat in the middle of it, and it made me will myself not to blush.

I gave a quick nod and started to focus, hoping that this would work. I never thought in my life that I would have to _think_ about having a tongue, but I suppose there’s truly a first for everything. My brow bones furrowed a bit as I tried to focus my weak magic to be able to make my tongue appear.

Soon I felt something materialize in my mouth, resting in my lower jaw. I moved it around a bit, and confirmed it was indeed a tongue. So I opened my teeth and let it slide out slowly, from what I could see it glowed a golden hue.

It made me realize that my magic in its entirety must be gold in color. Once I fully slid it out, they could see I had my own tongue piercing, though mine was silver. There were a couple small noises of surprise, and I slid it back into my mouth where it now sat without disappearing. I saw Cash looking me over, brow bone raised.

“Ya have a tongue piercing?” He asked, and I gave a small nod.

“My brother let me get one when we came to the surface. Getting it made me feel free from my dad, because I could finally do what I want.” I explained, which was half truth. I did get my tongue pierced after I escaped the testing facility, it really did make me feel like I could finally choose for myself. Soon after came my other piercings.

“It’s interesting that your piercing stays in place when your tongue isn’t formed. Both Mutt and Red have their tongues always formed to the point that it’s second nature for them.” Merlot said, and I scratched my jaw as I thought about it.

I actually couldn’t explain that, as I honestly thought my piercing might have fallen out when I first shifted into Dragon. I had gotten so used to it over the years that if it fell out I wouldn’t notice at first, maybe even at all until I checked in a mirror or something. The skeletons around me could sense my genuine confusion and seemingly shrugged it off, at least for now it seemed.

“Perhaps partial manifestation.” Stretch suggested as he rested a hand on my shoulder. He was standing so close I could smell his scent, which was a mix of honey and smoke. 

“it doesn’t matter, at least we know you can do _something_.” Sans said as he stepped forward, looking me over. “if you can, think ya could keep your tongue manifested as much as possible? as a small way to coax your magic to perhaps come out more.” Sans asked.

“I can try, yeah. It shouldn’t be that hard once I get used to it.” I said with a smile, getting one from him in return.

The tenseness that I had felt when I first came into the house had dissipated by a drastic amount. In just a day they had started to trust me more, and I would be surprised if I literally wasn’t _one of them_. 

They immediately had some trust in me due to the fact I was apparently them from another universe. But when it had already happened **five times** to them, no wonder why Sans held very little hostility towards newcomers. It was basically a family tradition at this point.

“good, i think that settles some things for now. we’ll let you get settled in before we start working on your magic, sound good?” He asked for confirmation, in which he got a nod of approval from me.

“Then perhaps this is where I step in.” Merlot said as he stepped past his place next to Cash, hands clasped behind his back. “I said I would cover your expenses to start living here, and I stand by that. So how about we go shopping for some necessities such as some more clothes and perhaps a phone?” He suggested as he walked over to me.

“Sounds like a plan, thank you so much.” I said with a warm smile.

Merlot smiled at me and led me out of the room, a hand gently on my back. I swore I heard Red growl a bit, but paid no mind to it as the other skeleton led me to the front door. When we got there, I could feel some eyes on me and looked over in the direction I felt it and saw a few sets of eyelights watching us, peeking from the living room entrance.

I recognized them by the color immediately as Papyrus, Blue, and Coffee. Merlot caught me looking somewhere and saw what I saw, letting out a small sigh.

“We’re heading out to get some things for Dragon.” He said simply.

“CAN WE COME??” Blue asked as he peeked out further.

“WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP DRAGON FIND WHAT HE NEEDS!” Papyrus said excitedly, as he fully peeked out, a big grin cracking his skull.

Coffee stayed quiet but gave big, adorable puppy dog eyes towards us.

Merlot let out a groan and pinched his nasal ridge, other hand on his hip. But one could tell he wasn’t actually annoyed with them.

“Alright, if you really want to head and ge-” He couldn’t even finish his sentence before Papyrus and Blue excitedly went to get their things before they headed out.

The skeleton next to me then walked over to his brother and gently rested his hands on his shoulders. I could _feel_ the concern radiating off of him, which piqued my interest as I listened in.

“Are you sure you want to come Coffee? It could be crowded where we’re going and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. We can bring something home for you.” Merlot said. But Coffee shook his head and wrote something on his notepad I couldn’t see. I heard the elder brother sigh and give a nod. “Alright, if you’re sure.” He said and led Coffee over to us.

The tall skeleton gave me a small wave and a smile, which I returned. It was now I noticed he was actually shorter than me by an inch or two. He came and quietly stood next to me while we waited for the other two, whom were down shortly after. When everyone was ready to go, we all headed outside.

I assumed we were walking until Merlot actually started leading us to the garage that sat to the right side of the property, separate from the house. When we got inside I gasped at all the gorgeous cars and motorcycles that sat inside the large building. 

The boys started getting excited and I didn’t know why until we were led over to what was presumably Merlot’s car. It was a gorgeous vintage convertible car, painted a sleek black with maroon red leather for the interior. It was kept immaculately clean, and I was worried about even getting in it.

“Go ahead and get in the front seat Dragon, you three can sit in the back.” He said to us as he got into the driver’s seat.

Before I got into the car though I offered the front seat to Coffee, to which he shook his head no with a shy smile and got in the back. Blue was in the middle, Papyrus behind Merlot, and Coffee behind me. I got in and put on my seatbelt, getting comfy in my seat as I heard the engine purr to life.

The elder skeleton pressed a button on his keys and the garage door in front of us opened smoothly. I watched as Merlot grabbed the stick shift and shifted the car into first gear as he took the wheel with his other hand. We then pulled out, going down the side entrance that had an automatic gate that opened for us as we left, and closed behind us.

I could feel the wind on my skull as we drove, hearing Blue and Papyrus happily chattering as we drove through the city.

“So what kind of car is this? It’s gorgeous.” I asked Merlot.

He looked over at me with a smirk, proud that I complimented his car.

“It’s a 1966 Mustang GT convertible, manual transmission.” He told me, and I grinned as I ran my hand along the dashboard.

“Well she’s a beaut.” I said and then leaned back, enjoying the ride.

The drive was nice, the radio kept low as we sped down the busy streets. We headed through the monster district towards what I made out to be a huge, fancy mall. Merlot pulled into the above ground parking and turned the car off, and both of us opened our doors to let the skeletons in the back out. Blue and Papyrus both hopped out happily, and Coffee was a little more slow, more shy.

My instincts always told me Coffee had some kind of social anxiety, or something of the sorts. The politeness I held wouldn’t make me bluntly ask him, he would get very self conscious if I did that. 

But the protective side of me wanted to keep him safe, wanted to keep all the more ‘Papyrus’ personalities safe. It kicked in very easy for me, almost like a pack mentality I had by my best guess. Part of me felt that Coffee could sense this too and actually stuck close to me as we headed inside.

Since I had never been here before, I just followed Merlot’s lead as we went further into the mall. Blue and Papyrus chatted as we walked, and soon I felt Papyrus take my arm as we walked into a very nice looking clothing store. It was a little more expensive and nice looking than any place I would probably ever shop. 

Though it seemed like the boys were very familiar with the place, and it was then I started to think more about what the skeletons wore. They did seem to wear more.. expensive clothes. Not fancy suits or anything like that, but still nicer than the outfit I currently wore.

“Well, you don’t have a budget so you can shop to your heart’s content but it seems you have others willing to do it for you.” Merlot said with a chuckle.

I had been looking around the store so I was confused about what he meant until I looked in front of me and already saw Blue and Papyrus picking out outfits. They made sure that a lot of the things they were picking somehow involved bits of green, black, and gold.

It made me think that perhaps the skeletons really liked to stick to their own color palettes on top of their own styles to make them stand out from the others. It seemingly made sense because not much was different between the skeletons other than a few features and their choices of clothing.

Coffee went to his brother’s side as I was tugged off by the other two skeletons to start shopping and trying on clothes. Out of the corner of my socket I could see the other pair start to look for their own things. Yet soon my attention was brought back as clothes were shoved in my face. All I did was chuckle and let them choose some outfits for me, while I chose some of my own. I always had a smile on my face, and had tons of patience for their more energetic personalities.

A small fashion show commenced at the changing rooms after we had a good few outfits. There were both more fancy outfits as well as casual ones, and I couldn’t help but laugh along as I struck stupid poses. Once I got approval from all four skeletons, we headed to pay, me chatting and laughing with them.

We went to the front counter and everything started getting scanned, and I watched the price go higher and _higher_. My sockets widened as I tried to stutter that it was too much before a hand was placed on my shoulder. I caught Merlot’s gaze and clearly he wasn’t having any of it. He pulled out a shiny golden credit card that he handed to the woman behind the counter. My cheekbones flushed once all the bags were handed to me.

“Come, let us get you some more formal clothes. I’ll take you to my tailor.” Merlot said and led us out of the store.

We walked further into the mall, further into the more expensive store locations. We went into a gorgeous suit store by the name of _La Grande Vie D’Ebott_ , and my sockets widened at all the perfectly tailored suits that looked so _expensive_. He led me to a man dressed in a crisp, wine red dress shirt and pressed black slacks.

“Why _bonjour_ Merlot! Here for another fitting?” The man with a thick french accent asked, getting a shake of the skull in response.

“No Antoine, I have someone new for you.” Merlot explained and gestured with his hand to me.

“Ahhh I see, well shall we get your measurements then?” Antoine directed at me with a smile.

“Uh.. s-sure.” I said and handed my bags to Blue and Paps as I stepped forward.

“Please remove your _chandail_ hot stuff.” He asked with a smile.

“I don’t have a.. uhm..” I tried to quietly say I didn’t have a shirt on.

“Ahh, please follow me then and we will be more.. _privee_ with it.” Antoine said, seemingly not mad at all as he indicated for me to follow him to a private changing room.

I followed him and once we were in the room with the door shut I took off my sweater. The tailor hummed as he did his job, taking height measurements first before measuring around my torso. I had to suppress a squeal when I felt his cool hand on my spine as he measured the diameter of it. Once done with all my measurements I slid my sweater on and followed him back out. We started walking around looking at suits and accessories while he chatted with me.

“A tapered waist would look best on you, not tight to the spine but something that accentuates your broad shoulders and chest. I do believe everyone should have a black suit in their wardrobe but if you were to go for something colored? 

My opinion is that an emerald green suit with a golden tie would very much make those gorgeous golden eyelights _fasciner_. Other colors could be a navy blue or perhaps a maroon.” He explained as he showed me his suggestions.

We chatted and I settled on a black, double breasted suit for my main one I would probably wear. We also settled on a single breasted emerald one in which the accents were a jade green, including the lapels. Merlot personally helped me pick out dress shirts, ties, vests, suspenders, everything. 

He had wanted to get me more suits but I said two would be enough for now, because I didn’t want to spend too much. Once everything was paid for, I was told they would be done in a week, which wasn’t that bad with how busy they seemed. Then again Merlot seemed like a VIP customer so it made sense.

“So where to now?” I asked as we walked out, my bags back in my hands as we walked.

I saw Coffee scribble something on his notepad and hold it up to us with puppy dog eyes.

**Can we go to the gaming store?** He asked.

“Of course, let us head that way.” Merlot said with a smile, hands clasped behind his back as he walked along.

We all followed him, and the other skeletons struck up conversation with me.

“SO HAVE YOU EVER GONE SHOPPING LIKE THIS DRAGON?” Blue asked, making me shake my head in response.

“We didn’t do a lot of shopping when we came to the surface, didn’t have the money to.” I explained.

“WELL IT’S SUPER EXCITING THAT WE’RE YOUR FIRST SHOPPING BUDDIES~” Papyrus squealed happily and clapped his hands together.

I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder and turned to look at Coffee.

**Maybe we can pick out some games to play together?** His notepad read.

“Sounds like a wicked good plan.” I grinned and gave a nod of my head, seeing a happy little smile cross the shorter skeleton’s features.

“OH WHAT KIND OF GAMES DO YOU LIKE? PERSONALLY I LOVE PUZZLE GAMES!” Papyrus said, getting a ‘ME TOO!’ from Blue.

“Haven’t really played a lot so I’m not sure yet, I just like that I get to play with people. So maybe multiplayer games?” I replied as I shifted the bags in my hands.

“OH OH WE SHOULD PLAY MARIO PARTY WHEN WE GET HOME!” Blue suggested with a grin, getting some responses of agreement, including me because well.. HELL YES!

Soon we were walking into an awesome looking game shop, filled with not just games but also action figures, accessories, everything a gamer could want basically. It was so damn cool! 

Coffee seemed more at home here and happily went over to the games to start looking through. I saw Blue and Papyrus run off together to look for things as well, while Merlot just stood at the door with his hands clasped. I decided to follow Coffee, going to see what he was looking at.

“So whatcha lookin’ for?’ I asked, tilting my skull as I looked at the games he was holding.

He held up the newest Call of Duty, and I raised my brow bones. I didn’t expect him to be the type to like that, but then again FPS games were hella fun. They were also some of the few games with pings and game chat in it so Coffee could actually talk with his teammates. I saw him flip the case over and point to something that said **Zombies Mode: 2-4 players**.

“Oh nice! That’ll be hella fun to play together.” I said with a grin, seeing him smile when I caught onto what he was trying to say.

Blue and Papyrus came over sporting more multiplayer games, as well as some super nice action figures. They started chatting to me about getting some for my room. Yet.. soon my attention was caught by a group of humans not far from us. They just looked off so I started listening to them, tuning out the skeletons around me.

“Look at them, thinking they can just walk in here and make so much annoying noise.” One said.

“Ugh I wish these disgusting monsters would just go back to where they came from.” Another muttered with disgust. This made me start to bristle.

“One day the filth will get what they deserve.” The last one said, and that finally set me off.

I do think Coffee had heard that as he flinched and brought the games up to his face, looking at the ground with shame. My brain clicked out in anger, and I forgot I was currently transformed into a 7 foot monster and not my normal self as I pushed past the boys around me and walked over. I towered over them, aura intimidating as fuck as I leaned in closer.

“Sorry I don’t think I caught that, think you could repeat yourself?” I growled lowly, ribcage rumbling from the sound.

The three men looked up at me, absolutely terrified as they tried to stutter out excuses. I bared my fangs at them, protective alpha mode on full force. I could feel the tension between me, the men, and the skeletons I was with.

“Because if I heard you correctly you were calling us **filth**. You think we’re filth when you were saying such disgusting things? You made my dear friend over there _hurt_ , and I don’t like that.” I snarled, and could hear Merlot coming over.

“Is something wrong?” I heard a soft voice ask, and I perked up, looking at this small woman that had come over from behind the counter. She was giving a warm smile but I could tell she wasn’t going to take shit.

“These men were being racist, thought I’d come over and have a little chat. Sorry if I got too intense.” I said truthfully, smirk gracing my teeth.

“O-oh no problem, sir. You have every right to defend yourself!” She told me with a smile, a red tint coming to her cheeks. She then turned to the three humans with a glare. “And you three are horrible men, please exit the store.” She said sternly.

The three men didn’t even put up a fight, especially not when they caught my angry gaze. They bolted out of the place, careful not to even touch Merlot as they passed him in fear of my wrath. I gave a triumphant smirk as I watched them leave, before turning my attention back to this woman. Her name tag read _Katie_.

“Sorry for getting hostile, I just don’t like tolerating assholes like that.” I said and scratched the back of my skull.

“I understand, sir. This store is friendly to all races and species, and that behavior is never tolerated. I myself am sorry that you were getting harassed by those people. I hope an apology and a discount on your purchases is enough?” She asked, genuinely seeming to feel bad.

“That’s more than enough, it’s just nice to see a human not berating us.” I said and smiled.

“Of course! Well please ask for me personally when you all are done shopping and I’ll give you a discount, Mr..?” Katie looked at me.

“Call me Dragon.” I said with a slightly flirty grin. Making someone blush like she did was always fun.

“O-of course~!” She squeaked and headed back into the back of the store.

I let out a small laugh at that and turned back towards my group, whom were all now standing together staring at me. The first person I walked over to was Coffee, cautiously setting a hand on his shoulder as I locked my eyelights with his.

“Are you okay?” I asked gently, genuinely concerned for the sensitive skeleton’s feelings.

I saw a couple yellow tears well up in his sockets as a small hiccup escaped his teeth. Merlot perked up at that and was about to reach over and pull his younger brother into a hug. But to everyone’s surprise, including my own, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug instead.

After I got over my shock I smiled and hugged him back, rubbing his back before he pulled away. He did it quite quickly so I think he didn’t realize what he had done, and it really solidified he wasn’t used to or didn’t like physical contact.

His sweater now said ‘Grateful Boy’ on it as he quickly wrote something in his notebook.

**Thank you**. It read, and I could feel the sincerity behind it.

“Of course. Now why don’t we get some games for us to play at home, hmm?” I suggested and gave him a grin, to which he responded with a happy nod.

Once we had picked out what we wanted, we went to the front counter and paid. Katie had given us a 20% discount and told us to come back soon, giving us a big smile and a wave as we left.

Soon we were walking around again, everyone except Merlot now holding bags as we figured out what to do next. Merlot had mentioned he would go and get a phone for me himself, as I would need to be put on the house’s phone plan. Yet as we passed the food court, I seemingly saw something click in Merlot’s head and he looked over at us.

“How about we go to Grillby’s?” He suggested to all of us.

This seemingly shocked the other three, whom looked at Merlot like he had grown a second head.

“GRILLBY’S? BUT I THOUGHT YOU ALWAYS PREFERRED HOME COOKED MEALS?” Papyrus asked.

“YEAH YOU DON’T EAT A LOT OF GRILLBY’S FOOD, YOU AND EDGE USUALLY COOK.” Blue added.

“Well Dragon he-” Merlot started, not sure how to word it.

“I have magic issues.” I said bluntly, getting my own shocked looks.

“Yes, so I believe that monster food might help him. So perhaps Grillby's or Muffet’s once and a while could really help.” He explained.

“WELL OF COURSE WE SHOULD GO TO GRILLBY’S IF IT HELPS DRAGON!!” Blue said happily, eyelights turning to stars as he grinned. The shorter monster took my arm and started tugging me towards the exit we came in.

Papyrus and Coffee were close behind while Merlot lagged behind a bit so he could call the household and tell the other skeletons the plan.

Eventually we were all piled back in the car, bags in the trunk as Merlot started up the car while looking at his phone with an annoyed sigh.

“What’s up?” I asked curiously.

“Because I said we were heading to Grillby’s, apparently that means everyone now wants food from there. So I suppose we’re getting takeout.” He said with a groan and showed me his phone screen. On it was a huge list of what everyone wanted from Grillby’s and I couldn’t help but snicker.

“Well we better get going then.” I said with a laugh, to which the older skeleton agreed and shifted the car into first gear, heading out and to Grillby’s.

Once again, I enjoyed the car ride there, taking in the monster district and everything it had to offer. It was a whole new experience actually on the road instead of the sidewalk, and I looked around like a kid, just so mesmerized at the beauty. We discussed what we wanted from the menu as well, and I said I’d eat whatever they ordered for me.

Soon we pulled up in front of what looked like an old fashioned tavern. The building was well taken care of, and had a large hand painted sign on the front that read _Grillby’s_. I hummed a little as we parked out front and got out of the car. Well everyone except Coffee, whom decided to curl up in the backseat of the car and wait.

I didn’t question Coffee though, getting why he wanted to stay out of the bar. So I gave him a smile before heading inside with the other skeletons. We got some glances and waves as we came in. The place was packed! Every seat was taken, every booth, chair, and stool. I hummed in astonishment was we pushed past people to get to the bar counter. There, behind the bar, stood a monster literally made of flames.

_So that must be Grillby_. I thought as we came up to the counter.

“Hello Grillby.” Merlot said. He got a wave in return, and his head perked as he heard a table call for another round of drinks.

“Busy?” I asked, and it was now he noticed me.

“Quite, I’ve been getting a lot of new business recently.” Grillby replied, voice like the crackle of flames on a cold winter day. “Not to mention I’m guessing you have a food order for the house, Merlot?” He asked.

“It originally wasn’t supposed to be the whole house, but yes.” He told the barkeep with an apologetic look.

“It’ll take a bit longer due to me needing to serve so many people in here as well.” He said as he handed Merlot a notepad and pen to write the whole order down on.

It was then I looked at a drink menu and saw I knew mostly what he had on there, humming as I looked it over before looking at Grillby.

“Ya know, I know it’s technically not _legal_ since I don’t have my bartending license in this universe but I could sling drinks for you while you cook. When I came to the surface I started working as a bartender.” I offered and saw his eyes widen, as well as the eyesockets of the skeletons I was with.

“I-” Another table called for a round. He then looked at me, looking me over before sighing and nodding. “Please.” He asked.

I nodded and grinned as he let me behind the bar, rolling up my sleeves as I started to get to work with a hum. It wasn’t a lie, I had done a lot of bartending in my years of being on the run. I would either work illegally or get a bartending license under a fake name, so I knew what I was doing. Easily my hands started grabbing different alcohols and mixers, slinging drinks out fast and calling for pickup.

I twirled a mixer glass in my hand before popping it onto a glass, raising it and shaking it above my head. To get fancy I tossed it above my head, seeing it flip before landing back in my hand flawlessly. I heard a couple cheers and gasps of amazement as I continued on with my little show. More people ended up ordering just to see me work, while my skeletons stood off to the side, mind blown. 

I grinned and laughed as I took a mixer glass in each hand, popping them with drink glasses and shaking both of them at the same time, twirling and catching them. I tossed one up, bumping it with my elbow, making it twirl high in the air before it fell down, landing perfectly atop the glass I held in my other hand. Monsters and humans alike in the bar let out cheers at the trick.

Grillby came out about 20 minutes later and saw me not only properly making drinks, but also entertaining his customers, and was astonished. He was holding all our bags of food, and handed them to the awestruck roommates of mine before walking over. I looked over at him and smiled as I set out another round of drinks for a large wolf monster to take with a thank you.

“Hey, I marked all the drinks I did down on the right tabs I hope. Others paid upfront so those drinks were rung through.” I told him with a grin.

“I-uhm.. thank you.” He said.

“It’s no problem! Hopefully it slows down so you can catch a break.” I said with a laugh as I went back out from behind the bar. Some people whined at the loss and it made me laugh again. I quickly rolled down my sleeves and walked over to my group.

“Yeah, well as a thank you, your food is on the house.” Grillby said.

“Grillby you don't have t-” Merlot started but Grillby was firm.

“It’s the least I can do.” He said with a smile, which I returned and thanked him gratefully.

We waved goodbye to him as we exited the tavern, heading back out to the car.

“THAT WAS SO.. AMAZING!!” Blue said excitedly, eyelights bright cyan stars as he grinned up at me.

“YEAH YOU’RE SO COOL DRAGON!!” Papyrus said, looking awestruck at me. I saw his eyelights briefly turn to stars as well.

“Nah it’s nothing special.” I brushed it off as we got in the car.

Coffee looked confused, writing a question mark on his notepad.

“Oh I-” I started, soon interrupted by Blue.

“DRAGON IS A SUPER COOL AND SUPER TALENTED BARTENDER! HE JUST SERVED SO MANY PEOPLE SO FAST!!” Blue praised and started rambling on to Coffee what had happened, exaggerating it a little bit.

The food was settled on all of our laps except Merlot’s as he started up the car and started to head home. I closed my sockets and enjoyed the ride as I heard Blue and Papyrus talking to Coffee. I could tell he was actually responding because there would be a break in the conversation for him to write before one of the hyper skeletons would give a reply.

It felt like only a couple minutes before I was opening my sockets to the sound of the engine being shut off, and saw we were back in the garage. I stretched my arms above my head with a groan before opening my door and standing up. 

Once standing I did a full body stretch with a small yawn. Everyone else got out as well, and Coffee was looking up at me with such admiration which I found so cute. He gave me a smile and held out his hands for the food that I had been holding. I handed it to him with a grateful smile, knowing I had a lot of clothing bags to bring in.

Once everything was gathered, we headed inside. Blue and Papyrus were still happily chattering away, carrying in most of the food, while Merlot, Coffee, and myself were not far behind. I heard some other voices as the door was opened and spotted Mauve and Black coming over to help with the food.

“GUYS GUESS WHAT!” I heard Blue say and chuckled as he started rambling on about their day, as well as what happened at Grillby’s. Of course he exaggerated it but I didn’t stop him as all the food was taken into the living room.

At this point all the skeletons were gathered around, taking their food from the bags as they listened to Blue and Papyrus rambling on about everything. When I came into the room, hands in my hoodie pocket, with all the bags hanging from my arms, all eyelights were on me. I felt a little embarrassed at all the attention but acted nonchalant.

“SO IS IT TRUE?” Edge asked, arms crossed as he looked me over.

“Hmm? Oh yeah I helped Grillby a bit.” I said casually with a shrug, not really finding it a big deal.

I saw Black and Mauve looking at me like I was the coolest skeleton in the room, eyelights sparkling as they looked at me with admiration. I really didn’t find it so spectacular but with how much it was exaggerated I could see why they found me so interesting now. They painted me like some knight in shining armor when I was just a skeleton in a hoodie, but I found it adorable how excited it got them.

I excused myself to go put my clothes away before we would eat, and headed up the stairs to do just that. When I got to my room, I started opening drawers in the dresser to put things away.

That’s when I heard a small sound behind me, at my door, and turned to look at who it was. There stood Merlot, leaning against my door frame as he looked at me. Obviously he had something to say to me, but I felt no anger and malice, only hints of gratefulness and sorrow. I stood straight and turned to him, showing him I was giving him my full attention. For once his arms weren’t clasped behind his back, but instead crossed over his chest.

“I wanted to thank you for what you did at the game store today.” He said, his eyelight looking up into mine.

This made me smile, hands instinctively sliding into my hoodie pocket as I nodded.

“No one deserves to feel like shit like that, and I’ve felt that way too much in my life. I can tell stuff like that can easily get to Coffee, so once I could tell he heard, I knew I had to do something. Humans like that disgust me.” I explained

“He feels safe around you, and can tell you want to protect him. It gives me some comfort knowing this because he hasn’t really bonded with anyone around the house because he’s.. special. Humans call his condition autism, a mild version. He has a hard time making connections and can get very uncomfortable in public places. But.. he’s my baby brother, and I love him and care about him very much.” Merlot explained and let out a tired sigh. I could tell he just wanted to protect his brother and give him a good life, and always worried about him.

I walked over and set a hand on his shoulder, giving him a genuine and warm smile. This made him look up from the floor and back at my face.

“I could tell, but it just makes him more unique and amazing. He’s super sweet and fun to hang out with.” I said, not a hint of lying in my tone. I genuinely did adore Coffee.

I could see so much tension leave Merlot’s shoulders as he gave me a relieved smile, hand reaching up onto my shoulder. We gave each other a smile and a pat on the shoulder before pulling back, an air of understanding around us.

“Thank you, Dragon. It means more than you know.” He said, hands clasping behind his back again.

“It’s no problem at all.” I responded.

“Well.. you best put everything away quickly before someone steals your food.” Merlot said teasingly, seeing my shocked expression and laughing as he left.

When I was by myself again, I started to put all my new clothes away, taking off the tags as I did so. As I did this I thought about everything that had happened today, finding it hard to believe. I had already, and quite flawlessly I might add, integrated myself into the household. Already I was making friendships and bonds, and could feel myself getting attached to these monsters. They were all different in their own ways, all of them having their own reasons to adore them.

I looked down at a shirt Blue had picked out for me, which read ‘Awesomeness’ in yellow writing on a black tee. I chuckled and decided I would change into it as well as a pair of grey sweats they had picked.

My mind drifted back to them as I changed, and I couldn’t help but smile fondly. A lot of the skeletons in the household were so willing to get to know me and help me, and it really made me feel at home. For the first time in forever I felt like I might have a family. I kicked off my shoes and slipped on some socks to head downstairs in. 

Running a hand over my skull, I shook my head and grinned as I headed out of my room, closing the door behind me. I walked down to the second floor, and when I was at the main staircase I called out.

“No one better have stolen my food!” I called teasingly.

In return I heard some panicked rustling and some loud laughs. A grin split my skull as I headed down the stairs towards the living room, more happy then I’ve been in a very long, long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some translations for the French (I used google translate please don't hate me lol):
> 
> _La Grande Vie D'Ebott:_ The High Life of Ebott
> 
> _Bonjour:_ Hello
> 
> _Chandail:_ Sweater
> 
> _Privee:_ Private
> 
> _Fasciner:_ Fascinate or mesmerize


End file.
